Modern armies continue to lack a secure and reliable method of collecting and transmitting individual locations to a classified or NSA-certified tactical communications network that is accessed by the chain of command. Despite the importance of this information, and the relative ease in determining individual locations with modern GPS locators, the security liabilities inherent in opening a secured network to lower-security communication devices carried by dismounted soldiers prevents the transfer of the information.
Most dismounted soldiers, if they have any handheld radio at all, have a Type 3 radio that transmits over a generally secured network. Although Type 3 radio technical specification are capable of communicating over an NSA-certified, tactical communication network (“tactical network”), Type 3 radios are not allowed to patch into the tactical networks, scanned by the chain of command, because the Type 3 radios do not carry NSA certification, and are therefore considered a potential security liability. Tactical networks generally utilize Type 1 radio which are also NSA-certified. Type 1 radios, however, are expensive, so each platoon generally is issued only a single Type 1 radio that is operated by the platoon's radio operator. This traditional deployment of the unit's radio leaves the unit's remaining dismounted soldiers and marines without a communication device or tracking mechanism directly connected to the larger tactical network. As a result, the chain of command forfeits significant information gathering about the individual location and movement of each dismounted soldier. Additionally, dismounted soldiers are faced with the inherent dangers that result from limited communication capabilities with other soldiers and the chain of command.
Currently, as shown in FIG. 1, communication from a Type 3 radio (101) to a secured, NSA-certified tactical communication network had to be patched through to a larger network which contains, for example, a computer 102 for monitoring the one way transfer from the Type 3 radio 101 to the tactical network 117. The computer 102 is usually housed in a secure base location, often located a long distance from the soldiers' area of operations. This long distance data transfer prevents point-to-point communication and real-time data collection from Type 3 radios 101 over a tactical network 117. Furthermore, the communication from the radios 101 to the co-located radios 115 have to be routed out to the computer 102, through the tactical communication network 117 and then back to the radios 115 that are part of the tactical network 117. This circuitous route is necessary even if the soldier holding the radio 101 is standing in close proximity, e.g., less than 20 meters, from a second soldier holding the second radio 115.